with the philippines which is stationing marines on the spratly islands. nhk world reports. >> reporter: the philippines and china and malaysia and brunei claim sovereignty over all or some of the spratly's, high ranking military officers say their country has started to deploy marines in nine islands and shoals since september. the country had already stationed naval officers there. the military says personal numbers have almost doubled on some of the islands. before the deployment, the marines underwent training on protecting the islands and been equipped with upgraded weapons. philippines began expanding its military facility on the island to accommodate equipment and personnel for drills and other operations. the country is developing oil and natural gas in nearby waters. china is also increasing military presence in the south china sea to boost its claim to maritime interest in the area. it is intended to solidify its defense on the islands and shoals. nhk world, manila. >> some asean nations are taking a hard stance but sources have revealed that mya